The Outfit

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The Outfit

Show Notes

On this, the day of the very first episode of The Outfit, Dan and Alana revisit one of the most famous mobsters to ever live: Al Capone. Plus, they look at how the mafia has shaped American life in surprising ways — and how it helps explain the world we live in today. Sources: Gus Russo, "The Outfit" Nelson Algren, “Chicago: City on the Make” John Binder, “Al Capone’s Beer Wars” William and John Balsamo, "Young Al Capone” John Kobler, "Capone: The Life and World of Al Capone” Laurence Bergreen, “Capone: The Man and the Era”

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More from The Outfit

Mar 5, 2026

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW HOME OF THE OUTFIT ON PATREON! https://www.patreon.com/TheOutfitPod Parting is such sweet sorrow, and never more-so than in the season one finale of The Outfit. In the final episode of “Al Capone: All-American,” Al Capone, at the height of his powers, finds himself trapped in a gilded cage — hunted by gangland enemies, the IRS, the President, and a little-known fed named Eliot Ness. And just as we can learn from history on how to launch a podcast on Patreon, Capone's successors learned how best to hang on to the power he lost—a dark lesson still adhered to by the gangsters in power today. To keep up with Alana, follow her on Instagram: @alanalevinson Sources Historian Mario Gomes's excellent website, My Al Capone Museum (https://www.myalcaponemuseum.com/) Milwaukee PBS Presents "Al Capone: Prohibition and Wisconsin" "The O’Hares: A Story Of Redemption Between Father And Son Easy Eddie And Butch O’Hare," Aimee Lamoureux, All That's Interesting Get Capone: The Secret Plot That Captured America's Most Wanted Gangster by Jonathan Eig Eliot Ness: The Rise and Fall of an American Hero by Douglas Perry Scarface and the Untouchable: Al Capone, Eliot Ness and the Battle for Chicago by Max Allan Collins & A. Brad Schwartz Capone: The Man and the Era by Laurence Bergreen Mr. Capone: The Real - and Complete - Story of Al Capone, by Robert J. Schoenberg Capone: The Life and World of Al Capone by John Kobler Al Capone: His Life, Legacy, and Legend by Deirdre Bair The Wicked City: Chicago From Kenna to Capone by Curt Johnson with R. Craig Sautter Al Capone’s Beer Wars: A Complete History of Organized Crime in Chicago During Prohibition by John Binder Gangland Chicago: Criminality and Lawlessness in the Windy City by Richard C. Lindberg Prohibition Gangsters: The Rise and Fall of a Bad Generation by Marc Mappen The Outfit: The Role of Chicago's Underworld in the Shaping of Modern America by Gus Russo Newspapers and magazines: The Chicago Tribune, The Daily Worker, Time Magazine, New York Daily News, Chicago Magazine, The New York Times. --- The Outfit is a production of Higher Ground and Headgum. Hosted by Dan O’Sullivan and Alana Hope Levinson Executive Produced by Dan O’Sullivan and Alana Hope Levinson Produced by Julia Murray Production Assistance by CJ Archerd and Franchesca Diaz Sound Design and Engineering by Ryan Kozlowski and Andrew Eapen Show theme is Bittersweet Defeat by OTE

Feb 26, 2026

When a popular crime reporter for the Chicago Tribune is executed in broad daylight, all eyes turn to Capone. In the penultimate episode of "Al Capone All American," the heat is on, and Dan and Alana find not all is what it appears as the tides change on the public’s perception of our infamous mobster.

Feb 19, 2026

This week, Dan and Alana are joined by Demi Adejuyigbe — writer, comedian, and internet personality — to talk Martin Scorsese’s Casino. From lavish costumes to Oscar snubs, the crew breaks down this classic 1995 film to see how it measures up against the mob movie hall of fame.

Feb 12, 2026

February 14th, 1929: a routine police raid on a Chicago garage turns out to be anything but, as seven men are machine-gunned to death; an event colloquially known as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. In this episode of “Al Capone All-American,” love is NOT in the air, as Dan and Alana find that the dead men are but collateral damage to an insidious gang war gripping the streets of Chicago—and all signs point to one Al Capone.

Feb 5, 2026

As a wave of political unrest sweeps 1923 Chicago, along comes the rise of a progressive mayoral candidate who vows to take down the bootleggers, effectively driving Al Capone’s operation to the suburb of Cicero, Illinois. In this week’s installment of “Al Capone All-American,” Dan and Alana find the Outfit’s bloody assault on democracy in Cicero is but a prelude for their return to Chicago—installing a buffoonish new mayor all-too reminiscent of a current-day executive.

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